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A collection of books on the subject of sustainable living...

PERMACULTURE - A DESIGNER'S MANUAL byBill MollisonBased on the years of experience of one of the worlds foremost permaculture practitioners. Lots of illustrations and exceptional detail. An essential reference for all designers of sustainable systems. Early chapters include material on land use, settlement design and understanding patterns in natural and human systems. Five chapters cover practical matters of interest to the land use designer: climate, trees and their energy transactions, water, soils and earthworks. Humid tropics, drylands and cold temperate climates are shown developed in the permaculture style, evidence, if it were needed, of the universality of permaculture principles. Establishing the importance of integration between people and landscape, a truly inspirational book.DO IT YOURSELF 12 VOLT SOLAR POWERby Michel Daniek
Michel Daniek is one of those people who makes you think that however much you care, and however much effort you make to do your bit for a better world, there's always that extra mile to go. Michel goes that extra mile, but he has the great gift of making it lively and fun. Both the man and this book are a real inspiration. This is a reference book that will help you trouble-shoot and get the best value for money from what you can find in skips and hidden in the back of the garage. It is also quirky and humorous in its refusal to conform; of course you can make a sun following system from a bicycle wheel, a pallet and the motor from a broken CD player! I am definitely going to use the idea of attaching a whisk to a portable drill. Daniek also debunks some important solar myths and gives practical tips as to how to avoid potentially damaging Electro Smog in your living space. This will be useful to anyone looking to install a solar system on a budget.

THE PERMACULTURE HOME GARDEN

by Linda Woodrow (forward by Bill Mollison)

Turn your backyard into a thriving permaculture garden! Inspired by her own training in permaculture, Linda Woodrow has devised a totally integrated organic system of gardening that combines science with common sense. In THE PERMACULTURE HOME GARDEN she draws us into a warmly welcoming household where everyone shares the planting, helps to tend the hens, and relaxes after a satisfying day's work. Step-by-step instructions and helpful diagrams make it easy to plan and plant a garden to suit your taste and space - a garden that not only looks wonderful but also yields bountiful fruit, herbs and vegetables.

The book covers how to: choose pet-resistant varieties; make marvellous compost; shun toxic chemicals; encourage useful predators; avoid garden drudgery; and pick crisp produce all year round!
Related links:
http://www.eco-logicbooks.com
ONE STRAW REVOLUTION by Masanobu Fukuoka
Masanobu Fukuoka's book about growing food has been changing the lives of readers since it was first published in 1978. It is a call to arms, a manifesto, and a radical rethinking of the global systems we rely on to feed us all. It is also the memoir of a man whose spiritual beliefs underpin and inform every aspect of his innovative farming system. Equal parts farmer and philosopher, Fukuoka is recognized as one of the founding thinkers of the permaculture movement.